Sutton gains access to some of the fastest internet speeds in the UK

Back in December 2019, Sutton Council entered into a partnership with Community Fibre to bring full-fibre broadband cabling to all council-owned homes across the borough.

Now nine months on, Community Fibre has completed its work enabling all major estates and areas.

The service has clocked download speeds of over 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps) – nearly 50 times faster than the UK average, according to figures released by Ofcom. It uses optical fibre cables installed directly into people’s homes, rather than the older and slower copper technology.

Community Fibre will also deliver free Wi-Fi in communal areas of independent living schemes and council-owned community buildings. These include: The Thomas Wall Centre, Shanklin Community Centre, Crownbourne Court and Milton House. 

The installation comes at no cost to the Council or residents, with users only paying if they choose to sign up with Community Fibre.

The new, gigafast broadband means that Sutton households will be digitally connected and able to access online services with reliable connections and speeds.

Speaking on the announcement, Councillor Sunita Gordon, Sutton’s Lead Member for Resources, said:

"Access to 100% Full Fibre Broadband will make a huge difference to residents and businesses across Sutton.

“With social distancing now becoming more prominent in this unprecedented time, these quality internet connections will help support the increasing number of people who are relying on the internet for work, education and entertainment.”

Graeme Oxby, CEO of Community Fibre said:

“With many of us now working from home, remote schooling, streaming TV or turning to online gaming for entertainment – and actually using a mix of all of these at once – the demand for fast broadband is ever increasing. Running our networks and ensuring that more and more residents in Sutton are able to connect to the outside world is of the utmost importance to us. 

We believe that everyone deserves better broadband, therefore our packages are affordable with no surprise price rises throughout any of our contracts. Our approach will be crucial to help build a more inclusive digital future for Sutton and across London communities.”